The Abridged version:
- Cooking In Season recipe developer Zoe B. Soderstrom’s newest recipe tops panna cotta with super-ripe Hachiya persimmons.
- Soderstrom’s panna cotta includes honey and ground cardamom in addition to heavy cream, whole milk and yogurt.
- It takes just 20 minutes to make, but must chill for another 2 to 3 hours.
This is Cooking In Season, a biweekly series from local recipe developer Zoe B. Soderstrom using seasonal produce available at Sacramento-area farmers markets.
It’s hard to miss the persimmons at farmers markets this time of the year. They seem to be just about everywhere. And like tomatoes, their bright orange skin and hard-to-miss dried green tops make them stand out in a sea of produce. They perfectly capture the essence of fall.
Still, the fall fruit are often met with the question, “what do I use them for?”
When I spoke with the worker from Newcastle farm The Natural Trading Co., he mentioned that he had just peeled an ultra-ripe persimmon for a quick snack and eaten it as is, because they’re that delicious (he then encouraged me to do the same, which didn’t take much convincing for me).
To me, a nearly overripe Hachiya persimmon doesn’t need much meddling to be delicious. It’s sweet, with mild notes of honey and apricot. As for its texture? Practically nature’s pudding.
That said, Hachiya persimmons (the elongated, acorn-shaped ones) are best enjoyed when both their flesh and skin are soft — so soft to the point where they feel like water balloons ready to burst. Be careful, though: If you try to eat them prematurely, you might end up with the unpleasant sensation of cotton mouth.
Don’t worry — most farmers markets will offer both ripe and unripe options this time of year. If you’re planning to eat them soon, grab the ready-to-burst ripe ones; if you want to take things slowly and savor the wait, grab a few firm, unripe persimmons and watch the magic unfold on your countertop.
HONEY CARDAMOM PANNA COTTA WITH JAMMY PERSIMMONS
Serves 6
Total Time: 20 minutes (plus 2 to 3 hours of chilling time)
Ultra-ripe Hachiya persimmons, the star of this recipe, taste great on their own. However, when paired with ingredients like cardamom and dairy, their subtle notes of apricot and honey shine through. Panna cotta, the Italian dessert translating to “cooked cream,” is a no-fuss vessel for seasonal persimmons. It’s rich, creamy, subtly sweet and (this one particularly) slightly tangy, with a small amount of plain yogurt that balances the ultra-sweet persimmon flesh. And in the true spirit of “no fuss,” this panna cotta is served directly in its ramekin or jar.
If you’re looking for a show-stopping, colorful panna cotta topping (or slightly put off by persimmon’s pudding-like texture), try blending the persimmon pulp with a splash of fresh lemon juice.
Ingredients
1 ½ cups whole milk
1 envelope (about 2 ¼ teaspoons) unflavored gelatin
1 cup heavy cream
⅓ cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ teaspoon ground cardamom
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup plain whole milk yogurt
2 to 3 very ripe Hachiya persimmons
1 teaspoon fresh-squeezed lemon juice (optional)
Instructions
Step 1
Pour milk into a large saucepan. Sprinkle the gelatin over the milk and set aside to “bloom” for 10 minutes — the gelatin will appear wrinkly.
Step 2
Whisk in heavy cream, honey, vanilla, cardamom and salt, and cook, stirring frequently over medium-low heat. Once the mixture begins to steam and the honey is fully dissolved, about 4 minutes, immediately remove from the heat.
Step 3
Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer or sieve into a large liquid measuring cup or bowl with a spout. Add the yogurt and stir until thoroughly combined.
Step 4
Pour the mixture into 6 (6 to 8-oz) ramekins or wide-mouth jars. Cover with plastic wrap or lids and refrigerate until firm, but jiggly, about 2 ½ hours.
Step 5
Scoop out the flesh of the persimmons into a small mixing bowl. Discard the skins and remove any seeds from the flesh. Using a fork, mash the persimmon flesh briefly, smoothing out any large lumps. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Optional: For a bright orange persimmon purée, blend the persimmon flesh with lemon juice until smooth.
Step 6
To serve, top each panna cotta with a spoonful of mashed persimmon.
Zoe B. Soderstrom is the writer and recipe developer behind Cooking In Season, a biweekly column featuring recipes made from the Sacramento region’s seasonal produce. She runs the popular Substack page Restaurant Dropout and previously worked in Bay Area restaurants after graduating from culinary school.